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In the old days, people shared music; they didn't care who made it. A song would be owned by a village, and anyone could sing it, change the words, whatever. That is how humans treated music until the late 19th century. Now, with the Internet, we are going back to having tribal attitudes towards music.
Ryuichi Sakamoto
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects a shift in the ownership and sharing of music from communal to individualism and back.

Ryuichi Sakamoto highlights the transformation in the way music is perceived and shared throughout history. In earlier times, music was a collective experience, owned and enjoyed by the community, fostering a sense of togetherness and creativity. With the advent of modern copyright and individual ownership, music became commodified, distancing it from its communal roots. However, the rise of the Internet is enabling a revival of those communal, tribal attitudes, where music can again be shared freely and morph with the contributions of many, enhancing its collective spirit.

Themes

MusicCommunityOwnershipSharingTribalCultureInternet

In practice

Example use cases

In a presentation on the evolution of music sharing, this quote can emphasize the communal aspects of music.

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